Destination Villages of Upper Padre

Austin-based Padre Island Development, LLC, had the blessing of size. 

It held more than 800 acres of extraordinary land interwoven with natural waterways, a lagoon and amazing access to the Gulf of Mexico. The land is also just a 20-minute drive from Corpus Christi. 

Its team turned to IDEAS for the project they envisioned.

Overall, they needed a potential 15- to 20-year build-out to craft the concepts, guest and resident experience and the brand that would bring it to life — all based on meticulously developed and informed market metrics.

And they knew we would master the challenge.

IDEAS Rolls Up Its Sleeves

First, we gathered input from Corpus Christi community thought leaders using our Culture Mapping technique. Their voices would influence the success of any North Padre Island development. 

The resulting work provided us with a clear picture of the “actuals.” In other words, we knew how the community felt, thought and believed.

Next, we used our StoryJam™ creative development process to define the characters, setting, emotion and action dimensions of a new kind of Gulf Coast resort and residential destination. 

The results were thorough:

• A complete “story bible” 
• A new lexicon 
• New design standards
• A clear description of the “optimals” that would make the new development an aspirational choice

Finally, we designed Ypartnership, a new brand.

The story, alongside qualitative and quantitative research that our project partners provided, drove this fresh brand. 

Changes for the Best

“The Island Resort” evolved into The Destination Villages of Upper Padre.

It’s an extraordinary, unique offering of Texas Gulf Coast casual elegance focused on the Gulf of Mexico’s innate beauty. 

With the brand architecture clear, we began a yearlong process of building the Upper Padre guest experience. 

The results were a finished program that drove initiatives across every critical touchpoint:

• Master planning
• Architectural design
• Operational planning
• Marketing

As part of the guest experience design, we created more resources: 

• A three-volume experience design document
• A portfolio of pre-launch marketing media
• A complete brand lexicon and naming construct 

In the work’s next phase, we’ll tackle the design development and turnkey of the Upper Padre Discovery Center. It’ll be an exciting, immersive preview of Upper Padre for guests and residents.

The Destination Villages of Upper Padre will redefine how Texans and people the world over think about vacations, leisure and quality of life.